Sign



0. I. DAVIS SIGN Filed June 18, 1946 INVENTOR. 0225' I flax/sis BY m me 9 flZZbrne s Patented July 17, i951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIGN Otis I. Davis, Mobile, Ala.

Application June 18, 1946, Serial No. 677,478

2 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to improvements in signs and methods of using same and has for an object to provide an improved sign and method of advertisin which will incorporate a double feature, namely one of public safety and secondly in advertisement of a project or business.

The invention has for another object to provide an improved advertising method through the use of a sign which is unique in utilizing a particular past event as a drawing feature in calling attention to the particular past event through the placement of such sign or marker at the locus where said event occurred; and besides commemorating such event through the use of proper words relating the occurrence, the marker will serve to add the advantage of preserving the event actively alive in the minds of those who view the sign, thus serving to inspire safety precautions especially when said sign concerns a previous tragedy.

A further object and advantage of the invention is to provide a simple yet durable means for advertisin as well as marking the location of some previous tragedy, thus furnishing the opportunity for the advertiser to perform a civic service while at the same time advertising his product.

Still further objects and advantages of the invention are to provide a novel form of sign so constructed and arranged as to be placed at the scene of the tragedy or accident, preferably at the side of a road or highway in such position that occupants of vehicles passing along such highway can clearly see the front of the sign when approaching from one direction and the rear elevation of the sign when approaching from the opposite direction, whereby textual matter on the sign may be clearly visible and legible to the occupants of such vehicles. A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved sign having interchangeable letters and numerals with an improved clamp arrangement cooperating with the internal Walls of a slot in a component element of the sign whereby vandals and unauthorized persons may not remove or disarrange the correct position of any of the letters of the sign, but on the other hand those equipped with the necessary tools and authority and being acquainted with the specific construction of the clamp may readily remove, adjust or replace such letters.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

7 In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an improved sign constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an edge view of the same;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on an enlarged scale along the line 33 in Figure 6;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the cross bar showing one of the letters and its clamp in place therein;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the same, and

Figure 6 is a rear elevation of the improved sign.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, H] designates a post or standard of wood, metal or other appropriate material having a suitable length to bury the lower portion for an appropriate depth into the ground whereby to give the sign as a whole sufficient support and rigidity.

In front of an intermediate portion of the post 10 is arranged a horizontal cross bar H with its intermediate portion aflixed to such post 10, whereby the post and the cross bar together constitute a cruciform construction of considerable strength to the outer side of which is attached the ring l2. Reinforcin and spacing blocks !3 and I 4 may be placed between the front face of the post it] and the rear face of the ring l2 at diammetrically opposite portions of the ring l2 which are vertically disposed. The post I!) will form the vertical diameter and the cross bar I I the horizontal diameter of such ring [2.

The ring l2 may be decorated in any appropriate manner to commemorate any past event. In the one embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the drawings, this cross bar is embellished with a wreath and ribbon of that char-- acter and description employed at funerals in order to indicate a tragic event. 7

The sign constructed of the members I 0, II and I2 constitutes a rigid, strong and trussed construction in that all of the elements are secured together, the ring [2 being secured to the remote portions of the post H] and cross bar H and the members It! and H being secured together at their proximate portions. All of these members carry letters or numerals combining to form legends indicating the past event depicted by the pictorial features of the sign and such letters or numerals may appear upon both obverse and reverse faces of the sign. Such letters and numbers are indicated generally at l5 and they carry upon their intermediate rear portion resilient clamps l6. Each clamp may be composed of a single flat piece of spring metal folded upon itself at its intermediate portion and afiixed to the back of the letter l5 while its parallel and spaced arms I! extend at right angles from the plane of the back of the letter [5 for a considerable distance and terminate in outturned claws l 8 which (have forwardly bent teeth l9. These clamps are adapted to be fitted in slots 20 made in the members 10, II and 12.

As shown to best advantage in Figure 3 the overall length of .a clamp is preferably slightly less than the length of the slot 20 in order to assure that the base face of the letter 15 may be moved up tightly against the adjacent face or the member, in this case the cross bar II, where the letter may repose in a proper erect position while the clamp enters the opening 26 but does not penetrate so far that the claws 'I'8 would project at the opposite side of such slot 20. The members I0, II and I2 are preferably of wood in order that the teeth l9 may bite into the same. To aid in this engagement the spring arms H are preferably given a bias to spring apart or away from one another whereby toautomatically drive the teeth [9 of the claws [8 into the upper and lower internal walls of the slot 20, The forward inclination of the teeth [9 enables the clamp irrespective of its spring bias to be easily pushed rearwardly into the slot 20 but resists the forward motion of the clamp out of the slot 20, which forward motion tends to dig the teeth 19 deeper into the surrounding wood of the slot walls.

Each letter carries its own clamp so that the letters may be selectively applied to the slotted members [0, and I2.

In the use of the sign the same is erected at the side of the roadway at a location where some past event has occurred for instance a tragic and fatal automobile accident, the sign being so placed that it can be viewedand its legends read from the front of the sign when approaching along the road in one direction and from the rear of the sign when approaching in the opposite direction. The legends borne by the sign not only commemorate the event but also contain advertising words or slogans as indicated by way of example in the drawings.

In erecting the sign, the letters or numerals iii are selectively applied to the members H), II and I2 and consolidated with the sign by simply pushing the clamps in place, the tension on the arms [1 forcing the claws I8 to grasp the walls of the slot. Thereafter such letter l5 cannot be easily removed by anyone not prepared so to do. Meddlers applying pressure outwardly on the letter l5 will only serve to make the claws I8 penetrate deeper into the sides of the slot 20. On the-other hand if the letter is to be-removed by an authorized person equipped with a long jawed pair of pliers, the samecanbe accomplished quickly and easily by applying the pliers to the arms ll through the back of the slot 20 and thereby squeezing the arm 11 together to release the teeth l9 from the sides of the slot 20. The pliers will be suificiently long to hold the arms I1 collapsed until the clamp is pushed forwards all the way through theslot 20 and is freed from the front thereof.

This type clamp 16 when attached to'the letter [5 and used for the purpose indicated, has the added advantage of occupying little space, being. easily applied (by mere pressure of the hand) and being easily removedbythe proper party yet installed firmly enough to withstand the average wear and tear given anything subject to public usage.

Another addedadvantage of this clamp is that it does not extend through the slot, or beyond the length of the slot, thus allowing for the double usage of the same slot 20 as shown in Figures 4 and .5 which represent respectively the front andrback faces of the cross bar H I do not restrict myself to any particular type of design or structure in the application of my invention. The parts may be fixed or movable as is desired by the particular advertiser but as herein illustrated and described the sign is so constructed that it will withstand ordinary usage given by the public. in their morbid curiosity toward any tragic event or occurrence.

I'claim:

1. An improved sign comprising a standard made from wood having a flat front face and slots extending all theway through theflat front face and the rear face and vertically elongated, a horizontal cross bar made from wood and affixed centrally thereof to a solid section of the standard between slots of the standard and having arms of substantially equal length extending to opposite sides of the standard in cruciform arrangement, said arms having horizontally elongated slots extending all the way through the front and rear faces of the arms, the front faces of the outer portions of the arms being flat, a ring made of wood having horizontally diametrically opposed solid sections with rear fiat faces placed against and affixed to the fiat front faces of the arms, blocks having flat front and rear faces with their rear faces placed against and afiixed to the standard at'the portions intersected by said ring, said ring having solid sections with flat rear faces at vertically diametrically opposite portions placed against and afiixed to the front fiat faces of the blocks, said ring having curved slots between the solid sections opening through the front and rear faces of the ring, characters adapted to be fitted in front of the slots of said standard, cross bar and ring, and clamps carrying said characters adapted to fit into said slots and having expansible teeth to bite into the wooden walls of the slots.

2. An improved sign as claimed in claim 1 characterized by the fact that said clamps comprise spring arms biased to outwardly spring condition with freeends remote from the characters and having out-turned claws with teeth inclined toward the characters to tend to bite into the wooden walls of the slots on movement of the characters away from the sign, said arms beingshorter than the depths of the slots to prevent the claws and teeth passing out of the slots, the Walls of the slots being substantially smooth.

OTIS I. DAVIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references "are ofrecord in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 732,245 Weiss June 30, 1903 1,453,276 Warren July 31, 1923 1,805,378 Send May 12, 1931 2,022,160 Sorensen et al. Nova 26, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 551,657 France Sept. 14, 1921 707,378 France May 12, 1931 

